“A person totally wrapped up in himself makes a small package.” — Harry Emerson Fosdick It’s human nature to see the world through our own lens, but that doesn’t make it productive or particularly informative. So how do we reconcile this with a blog published daily? At what point does it become a vanity play?…
“Don’t explain your philosophy. Embody it.” – Epictetus To make giant leaps forward in our careers, athletically, intellectually… whatever, is a worthy aspiration. But should it be a goal? Shouldn’t we focus on consistently taking action towards who we want to be, instead of focusing on the end game? If you want to be a…
“You must be one man, either good or bad. You must cultivate either your own ruling faculty or externals, and apply yourself either to things within or without you; that is, be either a philosopher, or one of the vulgar.” — Epictetus, The Enchiridion Do you ever wonder why the Stoics are more popular than…
“Real power is not in momentary desires, but in complete calmness.” – Leo Tolstoy I have a bit of nervous energy as I write this. I’m traveling tomorrow for the first time in seven months and there’s a vibrating exhilaration deep inside knowing that I’m getting on a plane again, going to another state and…
“Excellence is the next five minutes or nothing at all. It’s the quality of your next five-minute conversation. It’s the quality of, yes, your next email. Forget the long term. Make the next five minutes rock!” – Tom Peters “It is a simple two-step process: Decide the type of person you want to be. Prove…
“First say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do.” – Epictetus If New Year’s Day serves as the traditional launch point for goals and objectives, the 4th of July holiday (in the United States) serves as the midway point for the year. The first two quarters are over,…
I’m pondering a pair of quotes from the stoics. They go well together of course; each a call to action. And these quotes also pair well with two books I’m reading right now. “Give yourself fully to your endeavors. Decide to construct your character through excellent actions and determine to pay the price of a…